


Timeless

by peachenhun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Angels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 01:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10547900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachenhun/pseuds/peachenhun
Summary: Angel Sehun is assigned to help Kim Jongdae transition to the afterlife because the man’s time is up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is about the afterlife. If you’d like to skip the character death, skip the paragraph that starts with “Sehun hears the pop sound Jongin makes when he disappears...” and the following two ones.
> 
> Thanks to my betas, J and A. And thanks to the mods for this fest ^^

Kim Jongdae leaves home at exactly 8:43 a.m. He takes the subway precisely at 8:51 a.m.; no more, no less. When the train reaches his station, he gets off at 9:13 a.m. and walks 200 meters forward before turning right at the second intersection. He continues walking exactly 46 meters and arrives to his destination. At 9:20 a.m., Kim Jongdae crosses the entrance of the house. Fifteen seconds later, he greets the young man behind a desk with a loud voice and a wide grin. Kim Jongdae has arrived at the orphanage.  
  
All through his routine, Sehun observes a real ‘angel without wings’. That’s what they’re called. Sehun’s always found that annoying. He is the one in heaven, but people like Kim Jongdae get more credit for what they do. He watches the back of said ‘angel’ as he greets the kids that are having breakfast. His scapulas bulge out as he leans over to pick up a kid. Sehun swears they move in such a natural way that he may really be missing his wings.  
  
When the kids finish their breakfast, Kim Jongdae smiles and pats their heads as they all head to one of the adjacent rooms. The teacher is waiting for them by the door, ready to start the lessons. Kim Jongdae smiles at the woman and says her name. The smile he gives Joohyun makes something unpleasant curl in Sehun’s stomach. It’s too bright.  
  
Sehun sits on one of the chairs vacated by the kids as Kim Jongdae picks up the dirty dishes and moves around the kitchen. He walks around and past Sehun many times and the angel follows his every move with his eyes. At a certain moment, Kim Jongdae’s arm passes through Sehun’s shoulder. He gasps and withdraws his hand.  
  
“Oh… Why is it so cold?” He asks, rubbing his arms. His shirt is short-sleeved and leaves his forearms exposed. Sehun can see the tiny bumps the chills have caused on his skin.  
  
Kim Jongdae continues cleaning and Sehun, observing. The man lives his day as if it were a normal one, because to him it really is. And to Sehun, it is a normal day too. Aside from the fact that he finds himself far too focused on Kim Jongdae’s mouth. The curled up corners of his lips seem strange; it looks like a constantly pleased smile.  
  
“Will you have lunch here?” comes a voice from the door. It’s the man who’d been behind the desk, back in the entrance hall. Sehun tilts his head.  
  
“No. I’m going out today. I… actually have a date,” Kim Jongdae tells him, blushing. Sehun’s head snaps back to look at Kim Jongdae.  
  
“Ohhh… look at you. That’s why you’re wearing a nice, clean shirt and tight pants.” The other man raises an eyebrow while the corner of his lip lifts in a smirk.  
  
“Shut up, Baekhyun!” Kim Jongdae turns back to the dishes he’s washing. Sehun can see the red in his ears and neck. He stands up and walks closer to him as the man called Baekhyun continues to tease Kim Jongdae. Sehun’s ‘assignment’ is flustered; the angel can see this when he leans closer. He’s pouting and muttering something under his breath that sounds like ‘nosy friends’. Sehun doesn’t like Baekhyun.  
  
The day continues with Sehun following Kim Jongdae around, taking in every caring action the man shows towards the kids. The way Kim Jongdae’s voice changes when he speaks to a kid is captivating and makes Sehun step closer. As the morning passes, the distance between Sehun and Kim Jongdae shortens. Sehun can see more bumps on Kim Jongdae’s arms. He likes the fact that he’s the reason behind it.  
  
It’s midday, lunch time. The kids eat quickly, messily, leaving chaos behind them after they’re done. But it’s not Kim Jongdae’s turn to clean; it’s Baekhyun’s.  
  
“I’ll be back in a while, ok?” Kim Jongdae says as he heads towards the door.  
  
Sehun scrambles off the couch in the living room, where he’d had a perfect view of Kim Jongdae. He follows the man out of the house and almost passes through an old lady selling yogurt on the street. They walk towards a park; Sehun recognizes the place. They walk past it, confusing Sehun, who thinks a park would be a nice place for a date. Or not. Kim Jongdae looks like the type of man who’d enjoy the air outside instead of locking himself inside a café.  
  
Yet, that’s where they end up. A small, hidden café. Kim Jongdae enters the place, looks around and, apparently, doesn’t find his date. He takes a seat at a table by the window and the sun outside enters through the glass, lighting up his face. Sehun sits down right in front of him. Kim Jongdae looks down at the phone in his hand, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his high cheekbones. Sehun’s breath gets caught in his throat. The man with his soft eyes, curled lips and angular face is ethereal. He is a real ‘angel without wings’.  
  
Sehun feels his heart speed up. His heart is not there to pump blood. It’s there to show him how he feels. And right now, looking at Kim Jongdae, he feels he’s about to burst.  
  
Startled, he looks around for Luhan. That little bastard is always ready to screw up people’s lives with his arrows. But he’s nowhere to be seen.  
  
Part of Sehun can’t wait until Kim Jongdae is able to see him. But the other part of him, the sympathetic one, hopes for a few more minutes of being unseen. He peeks at Kim Jongdae’s phone and checks the time. It’s 2:46 p.m. From the expression on his face, Sehun can tell that Kim Jongdae’s date is a bit late.  
  
But it’s still too early for Jongin. Sehun looks around again. Jongin should be here within the next ten minutes.  
  
The phone in Kim Jongdae’s hand rings, a sweet melody that matches his personality. Kim Jongdae looks confused.  
  
“Chanyeol!” Kim Jongdae greets brightly. He listens with a smile on his face, nodding along to the words coming from his phone. Sehun can see the exact moment Jongdae gets disappointing news. He nods. “I get it. It’s okay.” His voice says otherwise. His smile is less bright now. Sehun doesn’t like Chanyeol.  
  
Kim Jongdae lowers his phone. Sighing, he stares at the table. A waitress comes forward to take his order. He apologizes, bowing his head before picking up his things and walking to the door.  
  
On the other side of the glass door, Jongin awaits. Sehun tries to reach out to Kim Jongdae’s shoulder and maybe stop him for a few seconds. But he can’t; he can’t touch Kim Jongdae. Jongin looks straight at him, shaking his head. Their ‘assignment’ walks past them typing something on his phone.  
  
“Right now?” Sehun asks Jongin, but doesn’t stop to wait for an answer because Kim Jongdae is walking away from them.  
  
“Three minutes from now,” his friend replies. “Why do you look so distraught?”  
  
The question makes Sehun stop in his tracks and glance back at him. “Uh… I don’t.” He continues walking while Jongin chuckles behind him.  
  
“Be ready,” Jongin warns.  
  
Sehun hears the _pop_ sound Jongin makes when he disappears. He looks for the _graveling_ in between the cars, while Kim Jongdae waits to cross the street. Jongin isn’t there. Sehun looks around, up and down the streets. There's a sudden noise from above that makes him lift his eyes. Jongin is sitting on top of a crane, waving at him. The structure is holding a metal beam at a construction site. Kim Jongdae is walking right under it, still staring at his phone. Jongin slides down the hoist rope and pops out of the crane right before the rope breaks and the beam falls.  
  
Sehun closes his eyes, just in time. He hates these types of death the most. They’re messy and chaotic. He can hear screams and people shouting. People are already crowding around the place. Sehun sees a man with a phone at his ear, yelling into it, calling for an ambulance. Sehun sighs and steps past him. The beam is much larger than it had looked from afar.  
  
“Wha‒ what is this? What happened?” The voice that Sehun’s been listening to since morning comes from right beside him. Kim Jongdae’s face is disfigured and bloody and one of his arms falls limply by his side. One of his legs is bent at an unnatural angle.  
  
Sehun is quick to step in front of him. Running his hand lightly over Kim Jongdae’s face, Sehun watches as the man’s forehead, his eyes, his nose, his lips‒ everything goes back to normal. The man looks between Sehun and what’s behind the angel, eyes darting in confusion. Sehun says nothing as he works on fixing his body.  
  
Once Kim Jongdae looks like himself again, Sehun steps back and cups the man’s face with his hands. “Look at me, Kim Jongdae.”  
  
The man does, his entire body shaking. The longer he stares into Sehun’s eyes, though, the more relaxed he becomes. “Who are you?” Kim Jongdae says.  
  
“I’m your assigned angel.” Sehun is ready to give the speech he’s got prepared. But Kim Jongdae gasps, mouth falling open, and Sehun loses his train of thought.  
  
“Angel?”  
  
Sehun’s arms drop to his sides as he nods. “I’m here to take you with me.”  
  
“So… that,” Kim Jongdae gestures at what’s happening right behind Sehun, “that’s me?”  
  
Sehun nods. He looks around and Jongin is nowhere to be seen. His work is done.  
  
“Let’s get going,” Sehun says. But Kim Jongdae doesn’t follow him, so Sehun curls his hand around the man’s wrist and pulls. “Come on, Kim Jongdae.”  
  
The man stumbles and bumps into Sehun, who stops on his track to glance at him. The confusion is clear in his face. Sehun’s hand lets go of the wrist and slides down to link their fingers together. He squeezes his hand. Kim Jongdae’s grip is strong, and Sehun can sense the fear in him.  
  
“Kim Jongdae, we really need to get going,” Sehun tells him, sighing.  
  
“Jongdae.”  
  
“What?” Sehun turns to look at him. Kim Jongdae is looking down at the floor.  
  
“Call me Jongdae. It’s weird… if you use say my full name.”  
  
“Sorry... Jongdae.” The man smiles; it’s not as bright as the smile he showed to Joohyun in the morning. “I’m your assigned angel. I’m here to take you up there.” Sehun points at the sky.  
  
Jongdae tilts his head. “Is it really up there?”  
  
Shaking his head, Sehun sighs. “Not really, but mankind has that strange belief that up is good and down is bad.”  
  
“Oh!” Jongdae doesn’t look so tense now. It pleases Sehun. “So what is _there_?” He looks upwards.  
  
Sehun stands in front of him, now that the accident is left behind. “Close your eyes.” Even though he says it and Jongdae obeys, he puts his hand over the man’s eyes. Slowly, he slides it down. As his hand moves, their surroundings change; the cars, the buildings, the people, they’re all gone. Blinding white that is familiar to Sehun’s eyes replaces it all. Jongdae keeps his eyes closed after Sehun’s done. “You can look now.”  
  
Jongdae looks up and around himself until his eyes move back to Sehun. He gasps. With a satisfied smile, Sehun undulates his wings slowly, enjoying the sound they make and the amazed expression on Jongdae’s face.  
  
“Can I…” the man asks, reaching out to touch. Sehun nods, and the contact between Jongdae’s hand and his feathers makes him shiver. Sehun’s eyes never leave Jongdae’s face. The awe with which the man looks at him makes Sehun want to stand here for eternity. Jongdae looks much calmer now than he had before. So far, he’s taking the situation much better than anyone Sehun’s ever had to deal with.  
  
“I think we should go inside,” Sehun says, nodding towards the white door at the end of the room.  
  
Startled out of his trance, Jongdae nods. “What’s going to happen inside?” There’s hesitation in his voice.  
  
“Nothing bad. Don’t worry.” Sehun places a hand on Jongdae’s shoulder as they walk side by side. “You’ll be assigned a job around here.”  
  
“Like you?”  
  
Sehun shrugs. “I’m not sure. You could be a guardian angel for all I know. You could replace Luhan.”  
  
“Who’s Luhan?” Sehun can feel the man’s eyes on him.  
  
“An idiot with arrows. You call him Cupid.” A sigh.  
  
Jongdae chuckles. It’s not the cute laugh he had reserved especially for the kids at the orphanage, but at least it’s something. Sehun can only hope Jongdae will relax soon, after he’s been given an assignment.  
  
The room, like any other room in Purgatory, has white walls so tall they seem endless. There’s a white desk at the other end of it and Junmyeon sits there in his white suit, typing on a computer.  
  
“For real? A computer,” comes Jongdae’s incredulous question from behind Sehun.  
  
“We’re still digitalizing all the archives. Pray you don’t get that job,” Sehun mutters.  
  
“Welcome,” greets Junmyeon, as he checks his watch. “Kim Jongdae, right?”  
  
Jongdae nods and stands next to Sehun. “That is me.”  
  
“You look good,” Junmyeon comments, pulling his glasses down a bit.  
  
“I… fixed him,” Sehun tells him, bashfully.  
  
“Good.” Junmyeon turns back to the screen. “So it says here that you were a social worker and that you worked at an orphanage.”  
  
Jongdae makes a choking sound and Sehun can see his eyes tearing up. Silently, he puts his hand on Jongdae’s shoulder in an effort to calm him down. “Yes.” Jongdae’s answer comes as a whisper.  
  
“Sehun, here, will be your guide around Heaven until you get your own assignment,” Junmyeon says with a kind smile. “Show him the quarters.”  
  
The quarters are dull to Sehun who’s been living there for years. But for Jongdae’s eyes, they’re apparently impressive. It’s one hallway that leads to many doors; some are open as they walk by. They pass by some dorms and then the game room. “A game room?” Jongdae asks. He is fascinated by the ping pong table and the two angels making use of it. Sehun mumbles something about the syndicate having asked for it.  
  
Although the hallway seems endless, the doors end at some point. The last door, the one at the end of hallway, not visible from where they’re standing, is the one Sehun enters only on special occasions when he’s called in by Big Boss. He explains this to Jongdae, whose mouth is open in pure curiosity. The man nods before they enter one of the last dorms, where Jongdae will be staying.  
  
“Uhm… But…” Jongdae seems about to ask something when he looks around at all the beds, the white sheets that almost blend in with the white walls and the windows that open out to nowhere. There’s only light behind the white curtains. “I’m gonna have to share? What about privacy?”  
  
“What do you need privacy for?” Sehun looks him up and down. “We have no bodily functions. And we also have no carnal desire.”  
  
Jongdae opens his mouth to protest, but suddenly he shuts his mouth and lowers his head. “Right…” He chews on his bottom lip and then takes a shaky breath. “I’m dead.”  
  
Closing his eyes, Sehun steps forward to place his hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. He doesn’t really mean it. It makes no sense to be sorry about it. But Jongdae seems to need it.  
  
There are many things death doesn’t take away. The fear of loneliness, the need to connect with another being, the sense of compassion and empathy.  
  
“The things that make us human,” Sehun says quietly.  
  
“Huh?” Jongdae looks at him. His eyebrows are furrowed and his forehead, full of wrinkles. If he could, he’d probably be crying at this moment.  
  
“We come here after death if we prove that, once we’re here, we can keep the things that made us human, our empathy, compassion, etcetera. We each have a role that’s assigned to us, usually it relates to something we did in our past life,” Sehun starts explaining to Jongdae.  
  
He walks towards one of the empty beds and sits down on it, patting the space next to him. Jongdae’s careful steps follow him. Once he’s taken a seat, Sehun continues his explanation.  
  
“I used to be a nurse back in my past life. I worked in the ER so I was used to seeing patients in critical states. I had to be the one assuring them they would be okay. Most times… they weren’t okay. Many died under my hands or under the doctor’s hands while I stood there watching. I was always there.” His words come out gently because Jongdae is paying close attention to him. His face looks different, no longer in pain. “My friends made fun of me because I had a very expressionless face. Yet, what the patients needed to see in those moments was someone who looked sure of himself, someone who would help them and not give in to fear.”  
  
When Sehun finishes telling Jongdae his story, they sit there in silence. Sehun takes those few minutes to stare at the man beside him, the new angel. Jongdae looks more peaceful now than he had the first time he'd seen Sehun. Jongdae looks at the white sheet his fingers are playing with.  
  
“Why the beds?” Jongdae asks all of a sudden.  
  
“For a false sense of normality. To give us a space that is ours. You’ll soon find that you don’t need it, though.”  
  
Jongdae nods. He looks small and much younger. Sehun wonders if sitting next to him, he looks older than Jongdae. The need to put his arm around the new angel and pull him into his chest invades Sehun and makes him jittery.  
  
“There you are!” comes an annoying voice from the door.  
  
Both Sehun and Jongdae are startled. Luhan is leaning against the doorframe with a dangerous smirk on his lips. When he knows he’s got all their attention on him, he steps forward.  
  
“Jongin was looking for you. He told me something interesting,” Luhan starts, and from the way he’s looking at Jongdae, full of amusement, Sehun knows he has to shut him up.  
  
“I’m showing Jongdae his room,” Sehun says quickly, standing up and getting in between Luhan and Jongdae, his heart beating faster.  
  
Luhan says nothing to that, but he’s got a knowing smirk. “He’s at the first game room.”  
  
“Why do you even have game rooms?” Jongdae speaks quietly, from behind Sehun.  
  
Excitedly, Luhan steps around Sehun to reach Jongdae. “Oh! Come play with us!” He grabs Jongdae’s hand and pulls him up. Something lurches inside Sehun’s chest at that.  
  
Jongdae looks at Sehun then. “When will I be assigned a role?” He looks calm, having accepted his fate so quickly. Sehun wants to pull him into a hug and assure him that the afterlife is not bad at all, but then again every day Sehun has to help dead people make the transition to the afterlife.  
  
“In the next few days,” Sehun replies.  
  
Jongdae’s smile is beautiful, perfectly curled up at the corners, kissable lips stretched out. Sehun sighs right before Luhan pulls Jongdae’s arm and leads him out of the room. With heavy steps, Sehun follows them. He sees Luhan almost running till the beginning of the hallway, while Jongdae trails behind him, giggling loudly, happily. Sehun smiles.  
  
By the time he reaches the game room, Luhan is already shouting at the bouncing ball, telling it to cross over the net of the ping pong table. Jongdae is laughing openly and when he notices Sehun entering, he lifts his eyebrows playfully. He’s winning.  
  
On a white couch, laying on his back, is Jongin. The _graveling_ seems to be sleeping; Sehun admires him for that. Sleep is not necessary, so angels don’t usually do it. But Jongin manages to sleep away. If they do sleep, it’s to have dreams. Sehun will always deny it, but he loves hearing about Jongin’s dreams.  
  
When he gets to the couch, he plops down on Jongin’s stomach, pulling a grunt of the graveling. Sehun giggles and leans back against the backrest, while Jongin tries to push him off.  
  
“You were looking for me.” Sehun isn’t really asking, but Jongin nods.  
  
“Big Boss wants to see you.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
Jongin adds nothing further. Sehun takes one last look at Jongdae’s smiling face as he continues to play against Luhan before taking off to see Big Boss.  
  
Crossing the hallway again is a bother. He walks and walks and walks; he has no way of knowing for how long he does so, but he doesn’t feel tired. He just feels bored. The door at the end can be seen from a few meters away. It’s red; it’s the only color in all of Purgatory. Sehun knows that what’s behind the door doesn’t belong to Purgatory or Heaven or anything. It’s a different place.  
  
He knocks on the hardwood and waits to be given permission to enter. No voice says it out loud, but the door opens on its own. Sehun steps in. The walls of the big room are dark brown, making it seem smaller than it really is. The only telling sign that the room is huge is the number of clocks on the wall. Where they are, time doesn’t run, time is not linear, time is nothing but a measurement used on earth. Hourglasses, all of different sizes, hang from the ceiling. Sehun loves to turn them around as he walks under them. He touches one, ready to change time, but he’s soon scolded by a booming voice.  
  
“Don’t you dare,” comes Big Boss’s voice from one corner of the room.  
  
Big Boss is sitting on the floor; his small figure making him look tiny inside the big room. He’s disassembling one of the clocks. Sehun can read ‘Saõ Paolo’ on the sign on the wall. His boss is not even looking at Sehun. It’s like he already knows exactly what Sehun will do once he’s inside the room. Maybe he knows out of habit, or maybe ‒ and Sehun seems to be quite sure of it ‒ Big Boss knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen.  
  
When he’s done with the clock, he hangs it up back on the wall. Then, he turns towards Sehun. His young, round face added to his short height makes him look like a kid at times, but Sehun knows better. The man is ageless; time doesn’t run for him.  
  
“Hello, Sehun,” he greets the angel with a cute smile, his gums showing.  
  
“Boss,” Sehun says, bowing.  
  
The man chuckles and walks closer to pat his back. “Took you long enough to learn to bow to me. I’m surprised at how easily you do it now, brat.”  
  
Sehun laughs, giggling. It’s hard for him to be serious with his boss. “You wanted to see me?” He asks, standing up straight, puffing up his chest.  
  
“How’s Kim Jongdae adapting?” Big Boss is no longer paying attention to him. He’s walking to a trunk at the end of the room, where he keeps his working tools.  
  
“Well, he’s barely just gotten here,” Sehun says quietly.  
  
“Has he?” His boss doesn’t look at him, but from the side, Sehun can see a smile on his lips.  
  
“Yeah…” Sehun looks around until he finds the clock marked as ‘Seoul’. It’s 3:45 p.m… two days later. “Oh! He’s been here for two days…” he says dumbly.  
  
Big Boss laughs. “He has. How is he?”  
  
“Well, he’s already accepted that he’s dead. Luhan was playing ping pong with him just now. He’s waiting for his role.”  
  
The man nods, pursing his lips. “Junmyeon has probably already told him by now, while you were coming here.” He closes the trunk and walks up to Sehun. “He seems like a nice guy, make sure to be there for him if he needs help.”  
  
“But… My job with him is done.” Sehun rubs his hands on his pants nervously.  
  
  
“He needs someone. His job might be hard on him at first.” Big Boss pats his shoulder sympathetically.  
  
“What is he going to do?” Sehun asks, knowing he’ll get no answer. “Why is he here?”  
  
Big Boss says nothing and goes back to one of his clocks. It’s Sehun’s sign to leave the room.  
  
It’s common for him to feel dizzy after leaving Big Boss’ room. It has to do with the unanswered question, but also a lot to do with the way time exists inside the room. It can run fast, but it can also slow down; it can move forwards, backwards, any direction or no direction. The first time Sehun came out of that room, he’d felt like throwing up and he had had nothing in his stomach.  
  
When he reaches the doors, most of them are closed. He’s tempted to check on Jongdae’s room.  
  
Suddenly, a door opens. Luhan’s head pops out of the room. He’s looking at Sehun with eyes full of mirth. Sehun remembers the time he’d thought Luhan was handsome; it had lasted a few minutes until Luhan opened his mouth to speak.  
  
“Hey! Where were you?” he asks Sehun.  
  
“Big Boss’ office.”  
  
Luhan’s eyes light up even more after that. “Oh. How is he?” He bites his lip. He looks so different when they talk about Big Boss.  
  
“Busy. No time for you.” Sehun laughs at Luhan’s dejected face and he’s walking away, when he stops, remembering, “Where is Jongdae?”  
  
“Why do you wanna know?” Luhan goes back to his usual self, the teasing idiot that knows something others don’t.  
  
Sehun feels his cheeks heating up. “Did you do something to me?” He rubs his chest in fear, over his heart. He would have felt an arrow, if there had been one involved.  
  
“Oh no, boy. This one is all on you. And him.” Luhan guffaws before closing the door on him.  
  
Angry, Sehun starts banging on the door, demanding Luhan tells him what’s going on with him. A soft voice interrupts him; a voice that makes his heart jump inside his chest.  
  
“Sehun?”  
  
Jongdae looks soft. He’s dressed differently. He’d chosen to wear a knitted beige sweater with sleeves long enough to cover his hands, and Sehun feels like dying again.  
  
“Jon-Jongdae,” Sehun stutters. His face heats up again.  
  
“Where were you?”  
  
“Big Boss called me.”  
  
Jongdae’s mouth opens. “Ahhh...” he says in understanding. “I haven’t met him yet. Will I ever meet him?” Sehun shrugs, because he feels his tongue is failing him and won’t allow him to speak. “Luhan told me about him.”  
  
“Luhan is biased, though,” Sehun mumbles. But Jongdae catches that and giggles loudly. His laughter rings in Sehun’s ears. “How have you been?” Sehun asks.  
  
“I had my first assignment.” Jongdae’s voice becomes a lot quieter.  
  
“Let’s go to your room,” Sehun suggests, and Jongdae nods.  
  
When they sit on Jongdae’s bed, side by side, Sehun can’t help but take Jongdae’s hand in his. “What happened?”  
  
“Uhm…” Jongdae bites his lip. “It went well… but that’s the bad thing.” When Sehun is about to ask why, Jongdae squeezes his hand and continues, “I’m helping kids. All the children that die in their early years, I accompany and help them cross. Like you do with adults.” He then says; although he smiles at Sehun, he looks sad.  
  
Sehun lets go of his hand and puts his arm around Jongdae’s shoulder, pulling him into his chest. His heartbeat is so loud, he thinks Jongdae might be able to hear it.  
  
“How was it with the first kid?”  
  
Jongdae’s breath shakes before he continues. “He was six years old, a terminal illness. I was by his side the whole day, on the other hospital bed, waiting for the moment to come. I expected Jongin to be there, but then he explained to me that he doesn’t work with illnesses.”  
  
“And the kid, how did he take it?” Sehun’s hand rubs Jongdae’s arm soothingly.  
  
“Fine. It was like he understood what was happening. More than me, to be honest. And that’s what shocked me the most. How some people can accept death so easily.”  
  
Sehun pulls away to look at Jongdae in the eye. “You did too.”  
  
“Yeah, but I learned that I was meant to be here for a reason. That helped a lot,” Jongdae replies quietly.  
  
“Was that the first time you’d seen someone else die?”  
  
Jongdae shakes his head. “No. There was a little kid at the orphanage that I was taking care of. His name was Minseok.” As he speaks, Sehun can feel him shaking, so his hold on Jongdae’s body gets tighter. “He was adorable. He smiled so much, his gums always showing. He was also very smart; he knew things not even I knew.”  
  
Sehun lets Jongdae get lost in his memories, while carefully pulling him down on the bed, so they can lie down. Jongdae places his head on Sehun’s chest.  
  
“Sehun…”  
  
“Mmm?”  
  
“If we have no blood, why do our hearts beat?” Jongdae asks him.  
  
It’s such a simple question. Something that Sehun has asked himself many times before. Now, as he lies there with Jongdae by his side, he has one answer for it. “So the beat can pick up, or our hearts can jump in our chests, or they can sink down. They’re all signs of how we feel.”  
  
Jongdae nods. “Your heart is beating fast right now,” he tells Sehun. He puts his ear right where Sehun’s heart is and listens quietly. Sehun takes a deep breath. “Why do we breathe?”  
  
Sehun laughs. “So our breaths can get shaky, or we can sigh, or we can..” He pulls away from Jongdae and blows softly on his head, making his hair move. “Blow on another angel’s hair if we want.”  
  
Giggling, Jongdae pulls himself up and slaps Sehun’s chest, making him grunt in pain. He turns on his stomach. They stare at each other silently. For a split second, Sehun loses control of his own eyes and they lower down to look at Jongdae’s lips.  
  
“Am I interrupting something?” Luhan asks, sounding like he knows exactly what the answer is.  
  
The angel is looking at them from the door.  
  
“What do you want, Luhan?” Sehun can’t keep the annoyance from his voice.  
  
“Oh! Sorry to interrupt. Big Boss asked for Jongdae. He said you could go with him, Sehun,” Luhan tells him.  
  
“Ugh. I just came back from there!” Sehun complains. But he still gets up from the bed, making Jongdae move with him.  
  
“Did you really?” Luhan lifts an eyebrow.  
  
“You know what I mean. Were you with him just now?”  
  
Luhan nods, looking extremely pleased with himself. Standing closer to him, Sehun notices the messy hair. And there’s a pink spot on Luhan’s neck that Sehun wishes he hadn’t seen.  
  
“What does he want with me?” Jongdae asks, sounding a bit insecure. Sehun’s hand finds Jongdae’s naturally. They link their fingers.  
  
“He probably just wants to get to know you.”  
  
They leave Luhan behind and head to the last door at the end of the hallway. It’s Jongdae’s first time, and Sehun can tell, from the way he clings onto Sehun’s arm, that he’s nervous. It feels like Sehun is his protector.  
  
The door is ajar when they reach it. Sehun pushes it open all the way and brings Jongdae inside with him. This time Big Boss can’t be seen anywhere. It annoys Sehun because he already knows that Big Boss likes to scare him sometimes.  
  
“Kim Jongdae,” the voice booms in the room, and Jongdae’s hand squeezes Sehun’s harder.  
  
Coming from the far end of the room, Big Boss appears. He’s still too far to see his face clearly.  
  
Suddenly, Jongdae gasps and his grip on Sehun tightens even more, to the point of hurting him.  
  
“Minseok?” Jongdae asks in a quiet whisper.  
  
Sehun looks at Jongdae; his eyes and mouth are open wide. In a flash, Jongdae lets go of Sehun and rushes to Big Boss.  
  
“Minseok?”  
  
Sehun’s body cannot move.  
  
“Oh! Wow! You… You’re older. You’re… alive!” Jongdae cries out before hugging Big Boss.  
  
Their boss laughs and hugs Jongdae back. Sehun has never seen that expression on his boss’ face before. There’s so much joy in the way they hold each other. Jongdae’s mouth starts asking so many different questions, that it’s hard for Sehun to keep up. For a moment, Sehun feels out of place, out of their lives. Jongdae laughs and speaks and Big Boss nods and laughs too. A strange feeling invades Sehun’s body, like he’s floating away.  
  
“Sehun!” Jongdae’s voice brings him back. When Sehun looks at him, Jongdae is calling him with his hand.  
  
Sehun’s feet move forward.  
  
“Boss,” Sehun says, before bowing low.  
  
“Hello, Sehun.”  
  
“I can’t believe it’s you, Minseokie.” Jongdae is excitedly bouncing on his feet. But his hand finds Sehun’s and holds it calmly. A clashing contrast. It’s like Sehun grounds Jongdae the same way Jongdae’s voice did to Sehun.  
  
“You must know now that I wasn’t really that kid.” Big Boss‒ Minseok tells him. “I wanted to see how you’d deal with children in the last moments of life.”  
  
Jongdae nods in understanding. Now, it makes sense why Jongdae’s time on earth was up. “I had to come here and help you.”  
  
“How is Sehun treating you?” Minseok then asks, turning his face to look at Sehun.  
  
“Great! He’s a good guide and he has an answer for everything.” The way Jongdae looks at Sehun makes the angel feel nervous, heart beating faster.  
  
Suddenly, unable to control himself, the sound of wings invades the room and Sehun realizes that his wings popped out.  
  
“Wow!” Jongdae says, amazed, letting go of Sehun’s hand to touch the feathers. The touch tickles and it makes Sehun’s stomach burn.  
  
Minseok watches everything, clearly enjoying the reaction of both angels. “Thank you, Sehun. That’s exactly what I wanted Jongdae to come here for.”  
  
Eloquently, Sehun says, “Huh?”  
  
“Jongdae, as an angel, you’re getting your own set of wings. Sehun, here, will help you learn how to control them.” Minseok chuckles. “It might not seem like it right now, but he’s one of the best at that.”  
  
“Do all angels have wings?” Jongdae asks.  
  
“Not really,” Sehun replies. “Jongin is a graveling, the one who causes deaths. He doesn’t need wings for it. Wings help with the crossing.”  
  
“I asked him if he wanted a pair, but he said he felt more comfortable without them,” Minseok explains.  
  
Jongdae nods in understanding. “I didn’t seem to need them for my first assignment, though.” He tilts his head.  
  
“They also make the transition smoother.” Minseok stares at him. It’s the look of the Big Boss. “Do you want them, Jongdae?”  
  
Jongdae chews on his bottom lip, eyes moving to Sehun’s own wings. On purpose, Sehun waves them gently. Jongdae smiles, lips tilted up at the corners, and looks up at Sehun’s eyes. He’s so beautiful; his eyes shining brightly and full of wonder.  
  
“Yes. I want them.” When Jongdae replies, his eyes are still on Sehun’s face. Then, he turns again to Minseok. “Can I choose the color of the wings?”  
  
Big Boss shrugs. “Sure.”  
  
“What color matches silver well?” Jongdae asks to no one in particular.  
  
And Sehun feels like he’s melting. His wings wave slowly and, from the corner of his eye, he can see the silver color of his own feathers.  
  
“I’d like blue wings, please.”  
  
Big Boss nods and tells him to close his eyes. “Sehun, come here. Hold his hands.”  
  
Sehun follows the order. He remembers how weird it had felt to get his wings. It hadn’t hurt, but it had made him lose his balance as new weight was added to his back. Sehun walks in front of Jongdae, who has his eyes closed but his lips still curled into a smile. Sehun holds both of his hands and looks down, fascinated with the way Jongdae’s fingers curl around his hand. Then, he looks up when Minseok starts working.  
  
Big Boss first places his hands over Jongdae’s scapulas. Sehun knows where the wings start, on the edge of the scapulas, protected by the bones. The boss’ hands move to the sides and, when they’re no longer covered from sight by Jongdae’s body, Sehun can see how they leave dark blue feathers in their wake. The wings take their shape soon enough and are ready to be moved.  
  
“Jongdae,” Sehun whispers. Jongdae opens his eyes. “Push your chest forward.” The wings follow Jongdae’s movement. “Now, arch your back. Can you feel them?”  
  
“Yeah,” Jongdae breathes out. He looks the most beautiful when he’s amazed like that. Sehun feels like kissing him.  
  
“I’ll teach you how to move them without using your whole body like this.”  
  
Jongdae nods, looking into his eyes.  
  
Whatever bubble they were in bursts when Sehun remembers Big Boss. But he’s nowhere to be found. They’re alone in the time room.  
  
“We should go. Can you try concealing your wings? So you can walk more comfortably in the hallway.” Sehun asks Jongdae.  
  
After another nod, Jongdae closes his eyes and scrunches his face. Sehun smiles at how cute he looks. The wings take a while to disappear from sight. When he’s done, Jongdae opens his eyes again, a smug smile on his face. Sehun bursts out laughing at him.  
  
They leave the room.  
  
Jongdae almost falls, but Sehun catches him and holds him in his arms, until Jongdae feels better. They stay like that for a while. They don’t know how long. It doesn’t matter how long. Time doesn’t run, time is not linear, time is nothing but a measurement used on earth.  
  
And when Sehun is with Jongdae, time means nothing. Sehun has no idea when he met Jongdae; he has no idea if Luhan had something to do with their meeting. None of that matters when Jongdae is in Sehun’s arms and looking up at him, with those kissable lips stretched into a smile.  
  
How long does a kiss last with Jongdae?  
  
Sehun doesn’t have an answer to that, even though he kisses Jongdae until their lips are swollen.


End file.
